Breast Cancer

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the publication of Breast cancer: an environmental disease—the case for primary prevention by the United Kingdom Working Group on the Primary Prevention of Breast Cancer, what powers the Health Protection Agency has to prioritise the primary prevention of disease and to reduce the exposure of the population to toxic substances.

Lord Warner: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has an advisory and not a regulatory role with respect to control of chemicals to which the public may be exposed. It is the role of other government departments and agencies to enforce regulations to reduce the exposure of the population to toxic substances. These regulatory powers reside with the Health and Safety Executive for occupational safety, the Department of Trade and Industry regarding safety from consumer products used in the home etc, and the Environment Agency regarding environmental exposure from various sources. However, the advisory role of the HPA means that if it did have concerns it could influence the department/agency with the policy lead.
	There are many recognized risk factors for breast cancer. Some of the most clearly established are reproductive, and other known risk factors are age, ethnic group, family history of the disease, history of benign breast disease, socio-economic status, use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy; also, in postmenopausal women, obesity. In addition, the Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COC) made a statement in 2004, showing that alcohol consumption can cause breast cancer (www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/coc/alco04.htm). The COC has also looked in detail on a number of occasions at the evidence to support the hypothesis that breast cancer is causally related to persistent organochlorine pesticides. It has consistently concluded that there the evidence does not support a causal association.
	The view of the Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division of the HPA is that there is no evidence to support the view that exposure to specific chemicals is a cause of breast cancer. Thus, the agency would not argue a case for any prioritization in this area.

Companies: Operating and Financial Review

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When and how they will formally remove from companies the requirement for an operating and financial review, in accordance with the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 28 November at the conference of the Confederation of British Industry.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Article 4(1) of the delegation order places consultation requirements on the designated body, the Professional Oversight Board for Accountancy (the POBA), to consult in respect of regulations which it makes under the powers in the order. Article 4(2) provides that these requirements do not apply where the POBA considers that the delay involved in complying with them would be prejudicial to the public interest.
	However, it is expected that reliance on the provision in Article 4(2) of the order would rarely, if ever, occur. The requirements in respect of consultation are in line with those set out in the Cabinet Office Better Regulation Code of Practice on Consultation (publication ref: 270621/0805/D5), which also provides for circumstances when full consultation may not be appropriate.
	In addition, the Financial Reporting Council (of which the POBA is part) has committed to the Better Regulation Task Force principles that require regulators to be proportionate, targeted, consistent, transparent and accountable.

Employment Tribunals: Department of Health

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What costs have been incurred by the Department of Health in contesting cases of unlawful discrimination in employment tribunals over the past 18 months.

Lord Warner: The Department of Health has incurred the following costs contesting cases of unlawful discrimination in employment tribunals over the past 18 months:
	Counsels' fees: £515,731.68
	Legal/Solicitor costs: £114,347.50

EU: Northern Dimension

Lord Bowness: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was decided at the first ministerial meeting under the Second Northern Dimension Action Plan held under the United Kingdom presidency of the European Union on 21 November.

Lord Triesman: The 21 November ministerial meeting under the Second Northern Dimension Action Plan agreed Guidelines for the Development of a Political Declaration and a Policy Framework Document for the Northern Dimension Policy from 2007. The political declaration and policy framework will be jointly drafted and adopted in 2006 by the EU, the Russian Federation, Norway and Iceland. They should provide a stable and permanent basis for the future development of the Northern Dimension, replacing the three-year action plan currently in place.

Extraordinary Rendition Flights

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will investigate the allegations made by the Guardian on 22 November that British airfields have been used by the Central Intelligence Agency for extraordinary rendition flights to transport individuals to foreign countries where they may risk torture or inhumane treatment.

Lord Triesman: The Government are not aware of the use of UK territory or airspace for the purposes of "extraordinary rendition", nor have the Government received any requests, nor granted, any permissions, for the use of UK territory or airspace for such purposes. We are aware of media allegations about "extraordinary rendition" operations allegedly conducted by the US authorities, and my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary has written to the US Secretary of State on behalf of EU partners.
	Under UK and international law, carriers on technical stopovers are not obliged to provide a passenger list.
	The Government's policy is not to deport or extradite any person to another state where there are substantial grounds to believe that the person will be subject to torture or where there is a real risk that the death penalty will be applied.

Glyphosate Poisoning

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the report of a death following exposure to glyphosate, reported in the combined annual report of the National Poisons Information Service 2004–05, whether the exposure was intentional or accidental; what was the route of exposure; who reported the incident and on what date; and what was the reference number of the coroner's inquest or procurator fiscal's report, if held.

Lord Warner: The case referred to relates to an individual patient. Neither the Department of Health, the National Poisons Information Service nor the Health Protection Agency is at liberty to release information on individual patients' cases—this is an issue of patient confidentiality.

Health Inequalities

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What study the Department of Health has made of households receiving the lowest statutory minimum incomes below the poverty thresholds in terms of (a) levels of income; (b) the extent to which housing is affordable; and (c) levels of debt; and
	What study the Department of Health has made of (a) income levels; (b) affordability of housing; and (c) levels of debt in households receiving the lowest statutory minimum incomes below the poverty thresholds; and whether any such study has assessed the link between these factors and ill health.

Lord Warner: The Department of Health has made no specific study of the links between income levels, housing quality and affordability, and levels of debt.
	The independent inquiry into inequalities of health (Acheson) report (1998), commissioned by this department, reaffirmed that shelter is a pre-requisite for health and that people who are disadvantaged suffer both from a lack of housing and from poor quality housing. Accordingly, housing is a key element of the national health inequalities strategy—the Programme for Action (2003).
	The recently published Status Report on the Programme for Action (2005) reviewed the key indicators that contribute to health inequalities. It showed that on child poverty, the proportion of children living in low income households has fallen by nearly a fifth (in relative terms) between 1998–99 and 2003–04, and on housing quality, the proportion of vulnerable households living in non-decent housing has fallen by a third since 1996, reducing the gap with the national average by five percentage points.
	A copy of the status report and the Programme for Action are available in the Library.

Indian Passports: Confiscation

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will place in the Library of the House the letter of the British High Commission in Nairobi dated 7 February (ref: PPT/16/2004) on the subject of impounding Indian passports, as well as the response of the High Commission of India dated 9 February.

Lord Triesman: A copy of the letter from the British High Commission in Nairobi reference PPT/16/2004 has been placed in the Library of the House.
	The letter of 9 February from the Indian High Commission in Nairobi is exempt from disclosure because it is confidential information obtained from a state other than the United Kingdom or from an international organisation or international court.

Intellectual Property Crime

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they will respond to Europol's claim in the 2005 report on organised crime that, in respect of fraud against intellectual property, some 200,000 jobs are lost yearly in the European Union economy.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Government have identified IP crime as a growing international threat. Work has been moving forward on a range of initiatives:
	the implementation by the Patent Office of the National IP Crime Strategy which sets up a multi-agency IP Crime Group, involving government, police, trading standards, HM Revenue and Customs, the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) and key industry sectors to deliver better-targeted enforcement action;
	a new IP crime intelligence database;
	better training for enforcers—trading standards officers and police are already receiving practical training with the help and support of the Patent Office;
	greater collaboration between national and international government agencies;
	annually updated assessments of IP crime and progress reports overseen by Ministers will ensure accountability and continuing delivery in this area.
	Furthermore, the Government have supported a number of legislative changes in recent years, such as stronger penalties for copyright and trade mark crime. We have also agreed a statement with our G8 colleagues defining a programme of work to help combat IP crime.

Investors in People: Schools

Lord Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many (a) primary; (b) infant; and (c) secondary schools in England and Wales have current Investors in People status.

Lord Adonis: On the basis of the information provided by Investors in People UK (IiP UK) data are not held separately for infant schools. Figures for these are included in the primary school figures: 7,257 primary schools (including infant schools) in England and Wales have IiP status; 2,541 secondary schools in England and Wales have IiP status.

Investors in People: Schools

Lord Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the general approach of the Department for Education and Skills towards the Investors in People scheme.

Lord Adonis: The Investors in People (IIP) standard has been a major UK success story since its introduction in 1991. It is a business development tool which sets out a level of good practice for the training and development of people in order to achieve business goals and improve performance. Its expansion is a key element of the Government's Skills Strategy.
	The department funds Investors in People UK (IiP UK) through grant in aid as a non-departmental public body (NDPB). The department also funds the Learning and Skills Council to provide local services in the support of the take up of the Investors in People standard.
	The department maintains the integrity of the standard by requiring IiP UK to maintain, review and develop it to ensure its continued relevance within the wider area of workforce development to all organisations in all sectors. IiP UK's vision is to strengthen the UK economy by improving the way in which organisations manage and develop their people, leading to business improvement and better public services.
	IiP UK is currently engaged in a fundamental review of the standard and its route to market. This relies currently on a number of intermediaries and is considered too complex, particularly for the collection of reliable management information. Ministers and officials are working closely with IiP UK to help locate the standard more firmly within the Skills Strategy and to explore options for repositioning the standard, including through partnership working with UK Skills and with sector skills councils.

Investors in People: Schools

Lord Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the Department for Education and Skills annual budget for the Investors in People scheme.

Lord Adonis: The department does not have a separate budget line for IiP activity. IiP forms part of wider workforce development activities. The budgets for these activities reside with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The LSC has advised that for the financial year 2004-05 it has spent approximately £38 million to support IiP activity locally.
	Additionally the department funded Investors in People UK £5.2 million directly in 2004–05 to protect the integrity of the standard. This is achieved by marketing, maintaining, reviewing and developing the standard to ensure its continued relevance within the wider area of workforce development to all organisations in all sectors.

Investors in People: Schools

Lord Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have plans to widen the participation of educational organisations in the Investors in People scheme.

Lord Adonis: Participation in the Investors in People standard is voluntary. Currently over a third of all schools in the UK are participating in and benefiting from the standard. Government actively encourage all organisations, including educational organisations, to take up the Investors in People standard.
	DfES officials are actively engaged with Investors in People UK in discussing the development of IIP UK's new five year plan. This is expected to identify the education sector as one of its main priorities.

Investors in People: Schools

Lord Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many head teachers have been involved in the Investors in People scheme over the past five school years.

Lord Adonis: On the basis of the information provided by Investors in People UK, data are not held on the numbers of head teachers who have been involved in the Investors in People scheme. However, in the past five years the total number of schools in England and Wales that have been involved in the Investors in People scheme is 13,819, approximately 50.6 per cent of all schools in England and Wales. The total number of schools in the UK that have been involved in Investors in People is 14,264, approximately 41.5 per cent of all schools in the UK.
	Head teachers are involved in managing the introduction and retention of the standard in their schools. However, the above figures will not take account of turnover of head teachers within schools. It could be assumed that the number of head teachers that have been involved in the standard exceeds the number of schools that have been involved with the standard.

Iraq: Cluster Bombs

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What were the guidelines for the dropping of cluster bombs in Iraq in 2003; and whether these guidelines conformed to international human rights standards.

Lord Drayson: Cluster bombs are lawful weapons and are always used by United Kingdom forces in a manner consistent with our obligations under international law.

Israel: Bethlehem

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have made to the Israeli Government to ensure that pilgrims visiting Bethlehem will not be turned back at the checkpoint at Rachel's Tomb.

Lord Triesman: We are concerned about the checkpoints and current route of the barrier around Bethlehem, just as we are concerned about free movement issues elsewhere. We continue to raise freedom of movement issues across the board with the Israeli Government.

Israel: Occupied Territories

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will make representations to the government of Israel concerning the political and economic situation in the city of Hebron in view of the isolation of some local residents within artificial gates and walls.

Lord Triesman: We recognise the difficulties experienced by Palestinian residents of Hebron in their daily lives as a result of the presence and activities of Israeli settlers and the accompanying security measures. We also recognise the damage that has been done to the economic life of the old city by the restrictions imposed on the residents by these measures. We will continue to make representations to the Israeli Government to ease restrictions on movement in Hebron and elsewhere.

Israel: Occupied Territories

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	To whom the long-term international civilian observers in the city of Hebron report; whether remedial action has been taken, when violence and human rights abuses have been recorded by the observers; and, if so, by whom.

Lord Triesman: The mandate of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) is to observe and report, but not to intervene in incidents or to take any other action. The TIPH produces reports for the Israeli authorities, the Palestinian authorities and the governments of the six member countries, Denmark, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. The TIPH's reports are not made public. We continue to make representations to the Israeli Government concerning violations of human rights in the Occupied Territories.
	More information on TIPH is available from its website at www.tiph.org.

Israel: Occupied Territories

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether Israeli administration of the Occupied Territories complies with the Geneva Convention and United Nations human rights conventions; and, if not, what representations they have made to the Israeli Government.

Lord Triesman: We do not believe that Israel complies rigorously with international law. We frequently raise our concerns with the Israeli Government about their actions in the Occupied Territories, including the routing of the barrier on occupied land, continuing settlement activity and other practices such as targeted killings and house demolitions. We stress that Israel must respect international law.

Mental Health: Suicide Risk Assessment

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What system have they put in place to ensure that the risk management training recommended in the Five-year Report of the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness; Safety First (2001) is being undertaken by all front line staff in mental health trusts in England and Wales; and
	What is their response to the proposal that the standard of suicide prevention in the National Health Service framework on mental health, which indicates that training for staff in specialist mental health services and risk assessment management should be updated at least every three years, should be revised to indicate that the training must be updated at least every three years; and
	In view of the contents of the Five-year Report of the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness; Safety First (2001), what action has been taken and guidance given to ensure the continuity of risk assessment by front-line staff in England and Wales, to assist in communication between services, and to move towards a unified system of case notes for all professional disciplines.

Lord Warner: The Department of Health published the National suicide prevention strategy for England in 2002 to ensure that we are doing all we can to prevent suicide in pursuit of the department's public service agreement target to reduce mortality rates from suicide and undetermined injury by at least a fifth by 2010. The National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) is taking forward implementation of this strategy as one of its core programmes of work.
	The National Suicide Prevention Strategy specifically recommends that all care staff in contact with patients at risk of self-harm or suicide receive training in the recognition, assessment and management of risk at intervals of no more than three years. The training is expected to be comprehensive and continuously evaluated.
	Preventing suicide: a toolkit for mental health services, published in 2003 by NIMHE, provides guidance to help mental health services in England to measure systematically the extent to which they are addressing the recommendations of the national confidential inquiry into suicide and homicide by people with mental illness report Safety First, including the recommendations about unified case notes and the training of staff in risk assessment and management.
	It is for mental health services to satisfy themselves that staff receive the appropriate training in risk assessment and management.
	As stated in Effective care coordination in mental health services (Department of Health, 1999) risk assessment is an ongoing and essential part of the care programme approach and all staff, when in contact with service users, have a responsibility to consider risk assessment and risk management as a vital part of their involvement, and to record those considerations.
	As part of the Healthcare Commission's annual health check, trusts will be assessed against all of the national targets as described in National Standards, Local Action; Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework 2005/2006–2007/2008 (Department of Health, 2004) including the national target on suicide reduction.

Mental Health: Suicide Risk Assessment

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In view of the statistics in the Five-year Report of the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness; Safety First (2001) on the number of persons who had been refused admission to hospital in the 24 hours prior to them committing suicide, what steps they have taken to ensure that mental health trusts are making local provision to accommodate all acutely ill patients when a request to be admitted is made.

Lord Warner: As set out in standard five of the National Service Framework for Mental Health (Department of Health, 1999) each service user, who is assessed as requiring a period of care away from their home, should have timely access to an appropriate hospital bed or alternative bed or place, which is in the least restrictive environment consistent with the need to protect them and the public.
	In many areas, crisis resolution teams will assess individuals with acute mental health problems and refer them to the most appropriate service. As part of the Healthcare Commission's annual health check, trusts will be assessed against all of the national targets as described in National Standards, Local Action: Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework 2005/2006–2007/2008 (Department of Health, 2004) including the existing national target to ensure that all patients who need crisis resolution services have access by December 2005.

NHS Professionals

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 28 June (WA 19), whether they have now determined the future status of NHS Professionals; and, if so, whether they will now provide substantive answers to the Written Questions (HL742) and (HL743) tabled by the Baroness Noakes; and
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 28 June (WA 19), whether they have now determined the future status of NHS Professionals; and, if not, what is the reason for the delay.

Lord Warner: The future of NHS Professionals will be determined by the end of the financial year. The focus this financial year has been on restructuring to become more efficient.

NHS: Mental Illness and Obesity

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the cost to the National Health Service of treatment for (a) mental illness, and (b) obesity, for each of the past 20 years; and
	What is the estimated cost to the National Health Service of (a) poverty-related mental illness, and (b) poverty-related obesity, for each of the past 20 years.

Lord Warner: Information is not available in the requested format. Information on the gross expenditure on mental illness elements of the National Health Service Hospital and Community Health Services budget in each of the past 20 years is shown in the table. This information does not include expenditure on people with mental health problems seen solely in primary care. Information on the estimated cost of poverty-related mental illness to the NHS is not held centrally by the Department of Health.
	Information on the amount spent by the NHS on treating conditions for which obesity is a contributory factor is not held centrally. However, the National Audit Office report, Tackling Obesity in England, published in 2001, estimated that the direct cost to the NHS of treating obesity and its consequences in 1998 was £480 million. As part of its inquiry into obesity, the Health Select Committee estimated that in 2002 the direct cost to the NHS was between £990 million and £1,225 million.
	
		Gross Expenditure (£ million) -- (cash terms)
		
			 Year Mental Illness Day Patient Mental Health In-Patient Mental Health Out-Patient Community Mental Illness Nursing Total Mental Health 
			 1983–84 60 849 56 — 965 
			 1984–85 66 901 62 — 1,029 
			 1985–86 72 937 68 — 1,077 
			 1986–87 80 998 71 — 1,149 
			 1987–88 89 1,146 67 — 1,302 
			 1988–89(a) 107 1,262 68 — 1,436 
			 1988–89(b) 107 1,262 68 120 1,557 
			 1989–90 112 1,321 75 154 1,662 
			 1990–91 129 1,386 85 184 1,785 
			 1991–92 158 1,689 130 208 2,185 
			 1992–93 190 1,757 150 253 2,350 
			 1993–94 206 1,699 171 274 2,351 
			 1994–95 218 1,644 196 319 2,377 
			 1995–96 247 1,672 222 371 2,511 
			 1996–97 289 1,722 300 459 2,770 
			 1997–98 303 1,754 312 521 2,891 
			 1998–99 318 1,819 334 580 3,051 
			 1999–2000 328 2,044 370 670 3,411 
			 2000–01 338 2,303 411 775 3,826 
			 2001–02 318 2,444 490 810 4,062 
			 2002–03 344 2,689 655 911 4,598 
			 2003–04 316 2,857 882 1,033 5,088 
		
	
	Figures from 1987–88 onwards may not be entirely consistent with those for earlier years, owing to the changes in the data collection systems.
	Expenditure categories were revised in 1988–89.

Pensions

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	If the number of contributory national insurance years required for a full basic state pension was reduced to 25 years, what number and percentage of men and of women would qualify for a full state pension in (a) 2005; (b) 2010 and (c) 2020; and
	If the number of contributory national insurance years required for a full basic state pension was reduced to 20 years, what number and percentage of men and of women would qualify for a full state pension in (a) 2005; (b) 2010 and (c) 2020; and
	What number and percentage of women would, on the basis of (a) 30 years; (b) 25 years; and (c) 20 years of national insurance contributions, be excluded from a full basic state pension in (i) 2005; (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2020; and for what reasons; and
	If home responsibility protection were to be made a credit, what number and proportion of women in (a) 2005; (b) 2010; and (c) 2020 would (i) acquire a full basic state pension based on 30 years of contributions; (ii) acquire a full basic state pension based on 25 years of contributions; (iii) acquire a full basic state pension based on 20 years of contributions; and (iv) fall short of a full basic state pension in their own right; and by how much of those in category (iv) would fall short; and
	If the number of contributory national insurance years required for a full basic state pension were reduced to 30 years, what number and percentage of men and of women would qualify for a full state pension in (a) 2005; (b) 2010 and (c) 2020.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: As my noble friend will be aware, the department recently published Women and pensions—the evidence which includes new estimates that the Government Actuary's Department has made available on projected basic state pension entitlements. As the Government Actuary's Department and departmental statisticians are continuing to work through the implications of the new estimates, we are not in a position at this stage to provide the information requested. These are important questions however to be considered as part of the national pensions debate and I will write to the noble Baroness with the information as soon as it becomes available.

Pesticides

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What resources, in terms of laboratories with appropriate accreditation, the Department of Health has identified for people who need or wish to be tested biochemically to assess the extent of their exposure to pesticides or other chemicals; and what are the names and addresses of the approved laboratories.

Lord Warner: The Department of Health has not identified accredited laboratories for people who wish to be tested biochemically to assess exposure to pesticides or other chemicals. There are a number of laboratories that undertake such work on a commercial basis and they advertise their services. The department does not maintain a list of these laboratories and it is not within the remit of the department to make recommendations in this area.

Pesticides

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to the public health aspects of pesticides in the Prague Declaration on Endocrine Disruption of May 2005 and to the scientific journal Nature's criticism of that declaration on 10 November.

Lord Warner: The Department of Health shares the concerns of the declaration of Prague with respect to the potential health effects of endocrine disrupters and we agree that further research is necessary. The department supports the ongoing Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development programme to validate test methods to identify compounds with significant endocrine disrupting potential.

Prisoners: Mental Health

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What percentage of the prison population is estimated or known to be in need of mental health services intervention.

Lord Warner: This information is not available centrally. Primary care trusts and the prisons in their locality jointly assess mental health need and commission services accordingly. The assessment that prisoners receive on reception will identify those at risk of having a significant mental illness. For those so identified, or who present later with mental health needs, follow up will include primary mental health care or assessment and intervention by the specialist mental health in-reach team. Across the National Health Service in England, 360 mental health in-reach staff are now in post and providing services to 102 prisons. This exceeds the NHS Plan commitment for 300 such staff to be in post by the end of 2004. The care programme approach aims to help to ensure continuity of care upon release. In 2003, 721 prisoners whose mental illness was too severe were transferred to hospital. Work is ongoing to improve this process so that prisoners can be transferred more quickly.
	There is good information about the prevalence of mental disorder in the prison population because in 1997 the Office for National Statistics undertook a survey of mental ill health in the prison population in England and Wales. This survey indicated that 90 per cent of prisoners have at least one mental health disorder.

Royal Military Police: Special Investigations Branch

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the establishment strength of the Special Investigations Branch of the Royal Corps of Military Police; and how it is organised in terms of (a) units; (b) command structure; and (c) supporting services.

Lord Drayson: The establishment of the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch (RMP SIB) is 218 posts. The RMP SIB is commanded by the Provost Marshal (Army) and is formed into two main headquarters, SIB (UK) and SIB (Germany). Each headquarters is divided into regions and these regions are made up of sections. The SIB has integral support and does not have supporting services as such. Tasks, such as crime scene examination, are carried out by staff on the establishment of the SIB.

Royal Military Police: Special Investigations Branch

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the numbers in post of the Special Investigations Branch of the Royal Corps of Military Police; and how its establishment strength compares with the counterpart units in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.

Lord Drayson: The numbers of staff on the establishment of each special investigation branch by service are:
	
		
			 Service Establishment Numbers 
			 Special Investigation Branch Royal Navy 16 
			 Special Investigation Branch Royal MilitaryPolice 218 
			 Special Investigation Branch Royal Air Force 42

Schools: Sex and Relationship Education

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they expect all schools to provide annual sex relationship education for all age groups; and
	How many schools currently provide sex relationship education.

Lord Adonis: All maintained schools are obliged to meet the requirements of statutory national curriculum science, which includes elements of sex and relationship education. Beyond the statutory requirements, schools are able to use the non-statutory framework for personal social and health education to deliver sex and relationship education, taking into account the views of parents and the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the children.

Toxicity Tests

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to the recent observation in the scientific journal Nature on 10 November that most animal tests overestimate or underestimate toxicity, or do not mirror toxicity in humans well.

Lord Warner: Animal studies provide useful data and are the best models that we have, if it is accepted that there are differences between species and a few types of adverse effects that are seen in humans cannot be identified in animal studies. It is recognised that there will be some differences in the results seen in various species, which may be interpreted as over or under-estimating toxicity. Nevertheless, this is allowed for using uncertainty factors, to allow for extrapolation between species and individual variation in the response in humans, using expert judgment to account for the uncertainties involved.

Trident

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What has been the cost of maintaining the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent between 1990 and 2005.

Lord Drayson: Since the Trident nuclear deterrent became operational in 1994 and 2004–05, annual expenditure for capital and running costs, including the costs for the Atomic Weapons Establishment, has ranged between 3 and 4 per cent of the annual defence budget. Comparable information on the costs of the UK's nuclear deterrent before 1994 is not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate effort.

Wheels to Work Schemes

Lord Cameron of Dillington: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why neither of their agencies, Connexions or Jobcentre Plus, supports Wheels to Work schemes in Devon and Cornwall, given the role of those schemes in enabling the agencies to meet their targets.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Connexions Cornwall and Devon do support the Wheels to Work scheme through providing referrals for young people to the scheme.
	Funding for the voluntary sector is the responsibility of each individual Connexions Partnership and it is for them to judge priorities against the needs of their local area. Connexions Cornwall and Devon have taken decisions about their engagement with the voluntary sector and this has helped them to achieve a 20 per cent reduction in the number of young people not in education, employment or training during the period November 2002 to November 2004.
	Jobcentre Plus has also supported Wheels to Work schemes in Cornwall. Jobcentre Plus were able to provide substantial funding (£34,100) to the Wheels to Work scheme in West Cornwall, in its initial stages, for the financial year 2004–05. This was funded through the Transport Projects Fund, which is a national fund accessible only to action teams. To date the project has supported 130 people; 49 referrals to the project have come via Jobcentre Plus offices or European Social Fund (ESF) providers. Of these referrals, 61 have gone into employment and 17 are attending training courses at various colleges in west Cornwall.
	In Devon, Jobcentre Plus has provision under the District Manager's Discretion Fund to consider funding for local projects. Wheels to Work schemes could be considered under this fund, but Jobcentre Plus has not received any such requests for funding, either from local offices or from the Wheels to Work schemes themselves.

Youth Justice Board: Use of Restraint

Baroness Stern: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 15 November (WA 143–44), whether Mr Peter Boatman, employed as a consultant by the Youth Justice Board, is also the Director of Operations of Pro-tect Systems, established in 2000 to act as the sole United Kingdom distributor for all Taser International products.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I understand that he is. The Youth Justice Board retained Mr Boatman's services because he is a recognised expert on restraint techniques. He and his fellow consultant Mr Tony Bleetman, a consultant surgeon, had earlier provided advice to the police inquiry into the death of Gareth Myatt.